Illumination – With paper – book or copy holder – Notepad
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-30
2001-04-10
Husar, Stephen (Department: 2875)
Illumination
With paper, book or copy holder
Notepad
C362S199000, C362S427000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213618
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to portable lighting devices and, more particularly, is concerned with a lighting device convertible between reading light and pen light configurations and having a single off/on light actuating switch.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lighting devices variously configured as miniature flashlights and as book or reading lights are well known in the prior art. Examples of lighting devices which are configured as book or reading lights are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,042 to Zeller, U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,340 to Dwosh et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,681 to Fisherman et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,622 to Sottile, U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,416 to Hartley et al and U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,528 to Vandenbelt. A drawback of these and other prior art lighting devices is that their designs restrict them to a single type of use or purpose, either as a flashlight or as a reading light. They are configured to function as one or the other, not both. This requires consumers to purchase more than one lighting device for different functions or uses which results in higher cost to them and more devices which must be carried with them.
Consequently, a need exists for a lighting device having dual functionality or use, both as a flashlight and as a book or reading light, which will overcome the drawbacks of the prior art without introducing any new problems in place thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a lighting device designed to satisfy the aforementioned need by being convertible between reading light (or book/magazine light) and pen light (or flashlight) configurations. Further, the convertible lighting device of the present invention has only a single off/on light actuating switch for the user to operate regardless of which configuration the lighting device is in. The convertible lighting device of the present invention reduces the number of devices that must be purchased and carried by consumers to serve these two functions or uses. This results in a more cost-effective and efficient approach in fulfilling the diverse lighting needs of consumers.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a convertible lighting device which comprises: (a) a main body having opposite front and rear ends; (b) a pivoting arm having opposite front and rear ends; (c) hinge means pivotally mounting the rear end of the pivoting arm to the rear end of the main body for allowing pivotal movement of the pivoting arm between an erect position angularly spaced from the main body and a lowered position adjacent to the main body; (d) illumination means mounted to the pivoting arm adjacent to the front end thereof for providing light therebelow when the pivoting arm is in the erect position and being exposed at the front end of the main body for providing light directly forwardly of the main body when the pivoting arm is in the lowered position; (e) means for supplying power to the illumination means being mounted to the main body and electrically connected to the illumination means; and (f) means mounted to the main body and connected to the power supplying means and illumination means for switching the illumination means between off and on states.
The main body has a recess at the front end in which the illumination means is inserted and exposed when the pivoting arm is in the lowered position. The main body also includes a base member and a top member. The base member has a bottom wall with opposite front and rear ends that defines a compartment in the base member and a first portion of the recess of the main body at the front end of the bottom wall. The top member has a top wall with opposite front and rear ends and is mounted on the base member and encloses the compartment of the base member. The top wall of the top member at the front end defines a second portion of the recess of the main body complementary to the first portion of the recess defined at the front end of the bottom wall of the base member such that the base and top members together define the recess of the main body.
The power supplying means includes one or more batteries. The base member of the main body has an opening defined in the bottom wall through which one or more batteries are inserted into and removed from the compartment within the base member of the main body. The device further comprises a compartment door attachable to and removable from the bottom wall of the base member of the main body for covering and uncovering the opening in the bottom wall. The device further comprises a compartment door locking member slidably mounted to and through an extension of the opening in the bottom wall of the base member of the main body adjacent to the compartment door. The slidable locking member is operable by being manually slid in one direction to engage with and prevent the compartment door from being removed from the bottom wall of the base member of the main body and by being manually slid in an opposite direction to disengage from and allow the compartment door to be removed from the bottom wall of the base member of the main body.
The base member of the main body also has a hole defined in the bottom wall. The switching means includes a switch member and a switch button mounted to the switch member. The switch member makes operable contact with one or more batteries of the power supplying means and the illumination means. The switch button is disposed through the hole of the bottom wall of the base member of the main body for a user to contact to move the switch member and the switch button together between first and second conditions such that the illumination means is thereby turned off and on.
The hinge means includes a plurality of aligned holes defined through the rear ends of the pivoting arm and main body, and a hinge pin fitted through the holes so as to pivotally couple the pivoting arm to the main body for undergoing the pivotal movement between the erect and lowered positions.
The illumination means includes a mounting element having opposite ends and being mounted at one of the opposite ends to the pivoting arm, and a light generating element mounted to the other of the opposite ends of the mounting element. The device further comprises a light reflecting shield hingedly attached to the pivoting arm adjacent to the illumination means such that the shield is pivotally movable between a retracted position in which the shield is disposed against the pivoting arm when the pivoting arm is in the lowered position and an extended position in which the shield partially surrounds the illumination means such that light provided by the illumination means is directed downwardly therefrom when the pivoting arm is in the erect position.
The device further comprises a clip mounted to the top wall of the top member of the main body. The pivoting arm has an opening for passage of the clip therethrough when the pivoting arm is moved to the lowered position.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4432042 (1984-02-01), Zeller
patent: 4598340 (1986-07-01), Dwosh et al.
patent: 4680681 (1987-07-01), Fisherman et al.
patent: 5203622 (1993-04-01), Sottile
patent: 5280416 (1994-01-01), Hartley et al.
patent: 5442528 (1995-08-01), Vanderbelt
patent: 5695271 (1997-12-01), Zeller
Two Sheets Containing Color Photocopies Of Carton Showing Booklite By Centaur, No Date.
Altman Peter
Ball David
Dobbin Sarah
Hallgrimsson Bjarki
Flanagan John K.
Flanagan John R.
Flanagan & Flanagan
Husar Stephen
Lumatec Industries, Inc.
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